Shoe-heel-preparing machine



4 SHEETS-SHE l1 Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

A. PERR.

SHOE HEEL PREPARING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man Nov.1|. 191s.

A. FERRI.

SHOE HEEL PREPARING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. II. I9I8- 1,405,800, Patented Feb. 7, 1922.A

4 SHEETS-SHEET ZI A.PERRL SHOE HEEL PREPARING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILD NOV. 1I, 1918. 1,405,800, Patented Feb. 7,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 wwf A. FERRI.

sHoE HEEL PHEPARING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1918. 1,405,800, Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- ,Zrwercw l 517925109 rr v,

UNITED sTAriis Air'griazNT OFFICE'.

. lANGELO PERP.; or WATER-Town, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To REECE SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, orfnos'roN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIONJOF.

MAINE.

sHon-nnnL-riinrannve' MACHINE.-

Speeieationl of Letters Patent, i Patented Feb. 17, 1922 y Application filed November 1,'1918. Serial No. 262,104.

town, in the county of Middlesex andState` of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Heel-fPreparing` Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had'therein the particular illustration in said prior patto the accompanying drawing. y

This invention is a novel shoe heel preparing machine. The main object is to provide a satisfactory machine for performing part or all of the preparatory steps -between the assembling of the lifts and the actual attachment to the shoe, for example, thesteps'of compressing, piercing, loading and nail-driving.

in connection therewith a straightening into parallelism of the outstanding nail tops before the top lift is applied. Other advantages will be made clear in the following description of an illustrative embodiment.

To the attainment of such objects and adva-ntagesrthe present invention consists in the novel machine, combinations, varrangements, mechanisms, devices and details hereinafter explained, described, illustra-ted or claimed.

"In the'accompanying drawings, Fig. l` is a left elevation of a nailing machine adapted for preparing a heel' for `attachment to a slice, and Vembodying the present invention.

F ig. la is a similar lleftfelevation of certain partsnotfully shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of .the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged left elevation of the revolving heel support. Fig. 4t is a partial plan view showing part of the piercing mechanism seen in the direction ofthe arrow d of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is Aa rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4. i

Fig. G is a front elevationpartly inv section of the nail inserting and driving mechanism. Fig. 7 is a top plan view ofthe parts rshown in Fig. 6.A Fig. 8 is aplan view of the parts shown in the lower portion of Figzb. Fig. 9 is an elevation showing the heel, the nail guide and the nails after the latter are driven nearly through` the heel. Fig. 10 in similar view shows the same parts with the nails bent straight after the removal of the guide.

Fig. ll is a perspective view of the nail guide. Y

Another object is to provide for a diverging arrangement of nails, and

n In Patent'No.V 1,289,054, Dec. 24,1918, and likewise in the present application is shown a shoe heeling method comprising driving a series or group of nails diverginglyinto the heel, and leaving the convergingv nail tops outstanding slightly, and bending them into f substantial Vparallelism before -forcing a top lift into place upon said nail tops- In force the heel is'applied, and this enables"- certain operation which are of additional advantage. The fpresentinvention is of broad utility, and itsfeatures, or soine of them, are advantageous with either describedmethod or` other methods ofprocedure. Y

To recite generally the steps performed by the present machine, each heel, after being properly compressed and shaped, isv preferably first pierced by a series of awls toform a series of tapering holes in proper position to receive the nails. Then, unlike said prior patent,- I prefer to place aga-instl the heel and between the pierced holes a tapering'guide or cone which is to'guide the nails as they are driven. nails are not engaged with the tapering Preferably,v the guide until after the'latter is in engagement.

with theheel. Next, the nails arefdriven into the heel nearly to the-point of emergi at the base.4 .A t this point i spread or aighten up the nails by bending into par-V l allelism. This is enabled to be readily done v position. A flat guide plate ordie may now be laidY inside the group ofrnail tops and the heel laid against the shoe, and the nails then driven and clenched interiorly,lleaving the slightly Vprojecting land parallel nail tops, upon which subsequently the top lift is forced or driven, usually after an vappli'- cation of cement beneath thetop lift.l

Preferably the compressing,-the piercing, the inserting of the nails, the partial driving of them, and their bending into parallelism are performed in a singlev machine, fand' lierein is disclosed and claimed a machine lGO i attaching heels to shoes, performed with the which performs each of, and co-operates in all of, these operations. After such operations the heel is preferably removed and joined with thev shoe and the top lift, eitherV by ordinary appliances, or by a special apparatus which I have designed, but which forms no part lof the machine herein claimed.

The preferred method of ypreparing and assistance of the machine herein described, is not lmade the subject of claim of invention herein, andthe iguresof drawings and claims originally filed herein, directed to the same, have been transferred tov divisionalvapplication filed Aprill 10, 1919, patented June 29,.1920Number 1,845,023, to which reference isvmade `for fuller'disclosure thereof. Some .of the parts and implements referred to in said divisional application and CaSe.

shownrhereinl include the built-up heel 20, the underneath Side of which in the compressing operation is concavely shaped to form the Vheel lseat 22. Short depth nail holes are. diverg'ingly pierced at the top side of the heel by means of a series of awls 24. This operation is fully indicated in the divisional i Into the pierced holes 'are inserted V.nails 25, and afterthis operation the nails VVvisional, case.

vare driven nearly through the heel, but not so'far as ,to emerge at thebase, by a first driver 26. During the driving of the diverging nails the space vbetween them Ais occupied by a tapering guide 27, the effective sur-y face of vwhich is preferably cone-shaped. This incomplete driving operation leaves protruding nail tops 32, which are slanting .as in Fig. A9, but are thereafter straightened i bracket 41 curved around into the form of an overhanging arm 42. At the center front is formed a second upright bracket 43,'01, rather, alpair of such brackets spaced apart and formed at their upper ends with bear- Vvings 44betweenwhich is mounted the revoluble heel holding and advancing `mechanism. The machineat its lower rear part is formed with a bearing 45 for aV power or prime shafty 46. This may be rotated at a fairly high speed, having fast and loose pulleys 47, 48. for throwing power on and off. As the machine may be .run to operate upon frombetween six and twelve heels per minute, a slower running main or drive shaft 50 is provided, driven from the power shaft 46 by a reducing gear consisting of a worm l49 on the power shaft meshing with a worm wheel 51 on the drive shaft. The latter shaft carries or actuates the several eccentrics, cranksor other J connections for operating the'heel pressing and shaping mechanism, f

the piercing mechanism, the nail positioning mechanism, the nail driving mechanism, and

the nail straightening mechanism. I preferably employ aV revoluble heel holder capable of carrying four heels so that while the operative is removing a yprepared heel and insertingfa rough heelfat one point,

the'preceding heel in the series may be simul.- Y

taneously undergoing acompressiomthe heel in advance of that the piercing, and the heel iii advance of that the nail receiving and driv-l ing operations.y I have, therefore, provided a four-armed heel holder or carrier 55, which is shown separately' in Fig. 3. Each of its four arms 56 carries suitable means for holding or claspin a heel in such way as to permitA the descri d operations. The arms 56 radiate from a central hub 57 mounted on anV axle or shaft 58 j ournaled in the bearings Y44v before mentioned. The shaft and hubl are shown secured together by a pin 59, see Fig. As indicated, the four arms oftheheel carrier 55 are preferably arranged at right angles, and in noi-mal position one of them projects forwardly where it is accessible to the operative, .while another one stands downwardly in position to co-ordinate with the compressing mechanism; a thirdone extends rearward wheie the piercing mechanism operates; and a fourth'projects upit may receive the nails. One rotationeof the main shaftV 50 causes one operation of all of the mechanisms, this occupying severalv seconds of time, but for each heel the complete cycle involves four shifting p movements. through the four described positions. The,

shifting of thecarrier 55 may readily :be

arranged to take place automaticallybut is f also conveniently performed by the operative. For .the latter purpose, the carrier shaft 58 is extended through its left bearing 44,v as seen in Fig. 2, to where a handle 60 is provided for shifting or throwing theV shaft to revolve the cari'ier 'between operations.

The shaft at its extremity is turned down, as shown at 61. to a small diameter and the Y handle 60 loosely surrounds the shaft at this point,qbeing. held axially in place Vby al collar 62 at the extremity. `The handle is capable of operatively engagingV andV disengaging..

iio

izo

the shaft by means of four notches 63rin the latter, yand a lock pin 64 on the handle. VWhen the pin stands in a notch, theshaft Vmaybe rotated by throwing the handle. On

the Vhandle is showna locking :lever 65 pressed outwardly by a springy 66 and having its horizontal portion connected to the lock nin 64. The spring, therefore, tends to lift the lock pin outiof the notch of theishaft.

ieu' wardly from the hub, holding the heel where determined by astop pin 67 projecting from hands are left free to remove thepreparedl clasped.

.now pressing the locking lever 4causes the` pin to enter the notch, whereupon heV may pull forwardly` the handle and swing itA downwardly until the cai'rier Ahas made a quarterrevolution. The exact position to which he is to rotate the carrier may be the left Abearing standard 43. The handle maybe allowed to remain in this position. The heels and carrier become locked in their positions by the engagement of the various mechanisms with them. The operatives heel and substitute another one `while the driving shaft makes a complete 1rotation,v

upon which he will again 'manipulate the handle 60 te advance they series ofheels one step.

kIn detail, the heel carrier at each of its arms may comprise opposite, hollow or concave, shell-like clasping members 70. -Interially these are shaped te lit the heels to be acted on, and they may be interchangeable to accommodate different sizes or shapes of heels. The front clasp device is shown open in Figs.y 1i-3,and the others closed upon heels. Each of the clasp members 70 is shown as provided with a shank 7l extending rearwardly and connected to a swiveled block 72 connected by a pivot stud 7 3, near the hub, with the carrier arm 56. This mounting permits the opposite clasping shells or members tomove toward and from each other. TWhen the heel 20 is placed between the shells, its baise comes against an inclined block or rest 74,'as best shown in Fig. 3,' while'an underneath supporting linger 75 assists to hold the heel in position until Various means may be employed for forcing the clasp members 70 together, and an advantageous yone is'that shown in Figs. 1

i and 2, consisting of a stationary cam 77 cooperating with opposite cam rollers 78 provided on the clasp members or their Shanks. Fig. 2 shows` that each cam has a recess or dwell at the front, so that the clasp members are permitted to separate and a heel to be extracted and inserted; while below this position the cams trendV toward 'each other,

thus forcibly thrusting the clasp members together, after which a longfdwell in the cain maintains the holding pressure on the heel until it is passed around through its several operative :relations and back to discharging position. y

The shell-like members 7 0,7 0 constituting the heelclasping devices, each'ha've a sort of universal motion or adaptability so that when the two are forced together they will,

in all cases, iirnily grasp and hold the heel.

This result is obtained by the flexible conf` struction of the supporting connections including the shank 7l of` each clasp member the shank being flexible@ permits a" sort of universal motion to the member.

After a rough heel is put into one of the clasp devices 70 and the latter is swung through 900 to the lowermost position, it is in readiness for the compressing or shaping operation. This actioiiis a ve-rticalsqueeZ-f ing operation on the heel between the V'rest or block 74E above and a risingflat member 8() beneath. The two members 74 and 8O are in the nature of squeezing dies, and it will. be seen in Fig. 3 that theiippei' press member or rest 7 4f is convex, so as to give to the hee-l sea-t the desired concave form, jas

more fully explained in said divisional application.

The aforesaid compressionl and shaping of the' heel is possiblebecause of the rigid mounting of the upper pressure member 7 4 and its location directly beneath the carriershalft 58; and by the-,solid mounting and the powerful lifting actua-tion of the lower pressure member 80. Y Y

T-he 'latter member is provided with a downwardly extending shank y81 engaged removably and adjustably in a socket vcentrally formed ina vertical pressure slide 82 fitted within a vertical slideway 83 in the upper front part of the base 40 of the inachine.

In order to give the lower pressure memi ber 8O a rising and pressing movement, at

first rapid to'bring it to position and then I slower and powerful, the ideal connectionsvv comprise a. toggle consisting of a lower link 85 pivoted to the machine base, andan upper link 86 connecting the lower link and A toggle operating the pressure' slide 82. g connection or rod 87 may be a simple kpitinan having a bearing or strap 88 engaging around a crank or eccentric 89 mountedv on the main or drive shaft 50. Byfthis arrangement eachfrotation of the shaft causes vthe toggle 85, 86to straighten, thus thrusting the rising pressure .member 8O against the fiat heel top, compressing and shaping the or rest 74.V A f heel against the opposing pressure member' It should beV stated that the several parts and mechanism areY shown in Figs. l and 2 in their imperativey positions/that is, disengaged 'from the heel. rlhev four-armed heel carrier may be considered as having beensupplied with a. new heel rotated. to bring thelatter intocompressing position.

The drive`v shaft 50 does not cease turning,l

and its Continued advance brings the compressinginechanism into operation to compress and thereafter release the heel, thus! permitting-it to be again revolved va quarter turn tounde-rgothe next or piercing operation at the rear.

tutes, with VtheVV arm 95, a bell crank by which a horizontal forward Vand rearward movement is afforded for the actuation of the piercing mechanism next to be describe-d.

"The piercing mechanismA is shown in left elevation in Fi 1 in elanV view in Fie'. 4V

.g a u i and in rear elevation in Fig.,5. There is a series or gang of piercing awls 24 arranged to pierce theheel. Seven of such awls 'are shown although the number of holes pierced Y might be greater or less. Preferably these awls operate divergingly, and this condition Vpresents az difiiculty of struoture, mounting and o ration which has been advantageous l met bvthe uresent'invention. As seen in Fig. 4, each awl preferably comprises not only its operative piercing portion 24 but aI shank portion 100, and the latter is shown asstanding'ata substantial angle, for example at a. right anglev t-o the awl'proper so as to give the correct and effective mounting illustrated. Each awl is iirmly'mounted on a'carrier 101 and is removable and interchangeable,y although the adjustment for angle is preferably obtained by adjustment of the carriers 101. j

VTo enable the construction and arrangement ofthe awls, their carriers, and their fittings and actuating connections to be properly understood, lit should be explained at the outset that the top view, 4, is whatthe operator would see of the piercing 'mechanism if he should lean over at the front of the machine and look downwardly in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 1.

i Fig. 4 shows the heel 20 with its concave seat 22 toward the observer, and at the far side the. fiat heel top which is to be pierced by the awls 24. Fig. 5, being a rear. eleva.- `tion of the parts shown inFig. 4, requires Fig. 4 to belooked at from the farther side,

f and the parts 102, 103, 122,. 123, 124, 125

shown in Fig. y4 are omitted from Fig. 5, excepting that 122 and 123 are indicated in dotted lines.

As seen. in Fig. 5, the seven awlcarriers l, 101 radiate from a commoncent'er with, l however,.a sufficient space between them to accommodate a rod 102 supporting at its forward end a perforated plate 103 serving as a guide for receiving and positioning the awls. j

Considered? relatively to the horizontal fore and aftl axis of piercing operation, the

several awl carriersy Vvare divergingly mounted. The rear view. shows them converging at their'operating point, #butV as shown in Fig 4 they are divergingly mounted.V Thus, each carrier block 101v at itsouter edge is provided with a dovetailed enlargement .104, and each ofY these Visl mounted and slides directly within a fixed guideway 105. TheseV gu'ideways are farther apart at their front than t-heirrear ends, thus giving the diverging awl motion referred to. Fig.V 4 shows the carriers and awls yslid rearwardly, and their subsequent' Y forward motion will obviously cause the awls 24, guided by the perforated plate-103, *v Vto enter and divergingly pierce the desired group of holes around the -topof the heel.

Adjustment of the extent of angular di.- if'ergence is desirable, and for this purpose the guideways 105 for the awl carriers,v although stationa'ry, are rendered swinginglyr adjustable by means of outward extensions 106 which are arc-shaped and engage against the .inner sides of. correspondingly curved supporting brackets 107.V To secure the parts npesition, the brackets are shown slotted at 108 through which portions of the .Y

extension 106 extencl,tlie same secured by an exteriorplate109 and a threadedY nut 110. 'By loosening the nuts 110, theawl carrier guides may be shifted and thereby changed in angle to to the piercing awls.

give the desired anglef Vllach of the curved supporting vbrackets Y 107 which holds a-carrier guide is in itself formed or vmounted on a. base-block 111, and these seven base blocks, of whichthree are-shownvin Fig. 5, arei'adially and ad.

justably arrangedon a semicircular, vertical, stationary supporting ,plate 112 secured at the rear side of the frontV standards 43, 43, over the base ofthe machine.

Byadjusting the radial base blocks 111 toward and from each other, the spacing of the pierced holes may be varied to suit dif` ferent Vsizes of heels. SuchV adjustment isV permitted by reason of Vundercut"recesses at Vthe under sides of 'the base blocks engaging y the dovetailed guides 113 outstanding rearwardly from the faceof thevertical sup-Y porting plate 112. VAny suitable inode of effecting the radial adjustment ofthe base blocks 111 of the curved carrier guides may be employed, as, for exam-ple, a threaded rod 115V partially engaged withinl the threadedinterior of the inner ends of the dovetailed guides 1,13, and at theiroutei ends having a pair `of colla-rs v116 at each side of a recessed downwardprojection 117 from the base block.

squared end 118 of the The piercing movement ofl the fawls 24 may be effected by a simple forward thrust, simultaneously, of all of the Vawl carriers By' turning theI Y rod 115, the'baseblock is thrust radially inward or outward. i

'ing shank a solid bca-ring or guideway'128 formedin to normal position.

101. As shown in Figsl and 5, each carrier at its rear has anfoverreachmg finger or hook 120, so'that, after the piercing, the

view in Fig. 4 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. This actuator is of a shape corresponding generally to the heel, so that its somewhat scmicircular outer flanged portion 123 engages under the seven hooks 120, while the heel 124 of the Vactuator presses directly against the several awl carriers 101. By this arrangement, the forward thrust of the actuator will cause vall of the awls todivergingly penetrate the heel, while a retraction of the lactuator retracts the awls. For con-y venience, the rod V102 carrying the perforated guide plate lO'iscentrally mounted in the actuator 122, being held forwardly by a spring 125. By this arrangement, when the piercing action takes place, the spring permits the relative yielding of thev rod so that the aw'ls may advance through the perforations of the guide plate 103.

The actuator 1.22 hasv arearuf'ardiy ertend- 127 oflarge diameter mounted in the rear bracket 41 of Vthe machine. Beyond the rear bracket. the shank or slide rod of the actuator is provided with a collar 129, and a powerful spring 130A is interposed between the collar and the frame for thrusting the parts rearwardly. g The extreme rear of theactuator shank has fulcrumed to it a link 131 which at its" forward endis provided with a stud 132 engaging the upper end of the bell crank arm 97 before referred to. Breferably this'arm hasan elongated, slott-ed head 98 to receive the stud 132. By this arrangement, the power connections are capable of thrusting the 'actua-ttorv forward to cause the piercing ofthe holes, whereas kthe. free play in the slot98 leaves it to thev re tracting spring 130 to draw the actuator back In Fig. 1 it will be .seen that the eccentric 91 has descended to about its half-way po- -sitiombringing the bell cranlr95, 97 to the position shown; and thefcontinued rotation will carry the actuator 122 further forward to pierce the nail holes' in the heel to the quired depth, after which. the partsA will all he retracted and the heel diseiigag d to permit its-revolution for 'another quarter turn to a position above the heel carrier shaft,

The nail inserting and driving mecha- .nisms comprise preferably a nail holding means or device adapted to stand directly above the heel', and above'that a nailfdriving Vmeans adapted to act on an entire group of nails. simultaneous-ly; and the nail'holding device is preferablyvshiftahle from driving position to a removed position for receiving nails, and. back again for driving purposes. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the nail holdving device or bor:l 14() is shown swingingly mounted through a hub 141 engaged on a vertical axle or stud 142 projecting downwardly from the overhanging arm 42 of` the machine. A collar 143 at the lower end Vof the stud contains a spring 144 which yieldingly upholds the nail box 140 while permitting the swinging movements. In plan view, the nail boX is generally fan-shaped or semi- `circular in form, as seen in Fig. 8, to conform generally to the shape of the heel, the straight side or dia-meter of the semicircle standing forwardly.

` In Figs. 1, 1a and 2, the nail box is shown in its lowermost posit-ion contacting `upon the heel. For receiving nai-ls, the box may be swung outwardly to the left so that its central or nail receiving portion comes to a convenient location. The nails may be fed atomatically, and for this purpose I have shown portions of a nail feeding mechanism. Extending leftward below the overhanging arm 42 of the machine is a bracket 146 having a perforated nail guide member 147 the perforations of which will register directly over the nail receesin thenail box when swung to the left. Leading downwardly to the nail guide 147 is a series of chutes 148 coming from any suitable feeding mechanism of such nature as t0k drop a series of nails through Vthe chutes at'each operation of the machine.

The nail box havingthus received a supply of nails, bring the nails int-o driving position. .To render these swinging movements automatic, in co-ordinationwith the other actions of the machine, thus relieving the operative. of this. work, the following Lconnections from the drive shaft may be employed. The hub 141,

' about which the nail box swings,is shown as having a helical cam groove 150 engaged by I a stud 151 which may be moved upwardly and downwardly to cause rotation ofthe hub. The stud is shown as having; shifted` downwardly and the nail box swung forwardly,

and beyond this point vthe groove 150 may extend vertically, forming a dwell.-

f The stud 151 is carried on a. hub 154 which may be moved up and down asfollows. The hub surrounds a rod 159, the upper endv of which is connected by pins 1:39a with a n ui'dc rod 155 sliding vertically inthe fran'ie arm '42. The lower end ofrod 159 has a head 159"; and this is connected by a link 153 with the pitma'n y93, which moves 'up and down, and so moves all the parts, includingfrods A159 and155.l A spring 158 surrounding rofl 159 tends to hold the hub 154 down on the rod head 159". To preventv the hub turning it is' provided with a pin 154a lprojecting into a groove 159" in the rod 159.

is to be swung forwardly tor on its pivot to its position above the heel Vand beneath the driving means 165. Vforward swinging of the nail-box and its This . lowering upon the heel took place during the,

first partv of theV descent of the pitman 93,

link 153 and connected parte. The hub 154V is capable of sliding relatively upward on therod 159, the spring yielding to permit this. l/Vhen the nail-box is inxcontact upon the heel the further downward movement. of the pitman merely compresses the spring leaving the nail-box stationary, Vwhile at the same time the rod 155 continues its descent,

vto opera-te the nail driving` mechanism, as

will beA described lVlien the parts return upwardly the hub 154 and the. nail-box are held down by the spring until the head 159 contacts and lifts the hub.v There-after the continued lifting movement first causes the lifting of the nail-box from the heel and thereafter rcauses the swinging of the nailboX to a position beneath the Vnail distributor 147. These two movements are effected by the engagement of the stud 151 in the groove150. The lower part of the groove is vertical. When the stud has reached the bottom of this vertical portion it pressesxdown- 'wardly and lowers the nail-boxY hub 141 and the nail box. In doing this the spring'144 is compressed. When the stud again rises the spring lifts the nail-box until its hub 141,

comes in contact with the portion 146a of the distributor bracket 146.V This serves as a stop to the rise of the nail-boxvf Thereafter the` continued risefof the stud operating in the inclined part of the groove forces the nail-box to swing outwardly to the left and beneath the distributor. The; nail-box by lifting before swinging is able lto clear the upper ends of the protruding nail tops.

The nail-box hub 141'is shown as having a horizontal finger 157 which coop'erzites wtih an upward finger 154b extending from the hub 154. These two fingers have inclined contacting faces in the nature of cams such that the lifting of hub 154 tends to initiate or assist the swinging movement of the nailbox. The swinging movement from these fingers does not take effect until the nailbox lis fully raised and then the stud 151 acts upon the helical groovel() and the nail-box is swung as described. To insure that the nail-box will not comme-nce to .swing until it has lifted sufficiently to clear the nail tops a guard device is provided as seen in Fig. 1, This consists of a roller R cooperating with a rib or Vguide S acting to compel the nail-box to rise vertically. The rollerV is mounted onthe hub 141 and it runs alon in contact with the rib, which is stationary, be-

ing secured to the part 14,3; The roller running along the rear edge-,of the guide. prevents swmging movement until lifted sufficiently to pass oifjthe curved end of the The upper end of the rod is engaged f yYormally, the nail holding` device'140 is slightly higher Vthan the heel, andv the nail driving 'means 165 is slightly 'higher than the latter, but during the driving action these mechanismsare all brought into the relative position shown in Fig. 6,' .contacting directly above the heel. In this` figure Vin a slotted enlargement 160 of alever 161" i l pivoted at the rear7 and at its forward end 1 lare seen the gang of nail drivers 26 vand also Y the tapered nail'guide member 27. The nail vguide.member27 ispreferably attached 'to`v the nail box 140 so that it swings out with the latter when receiving the nails,l andV swings back into position above 'the'heel The member 27 as seen in cross-section 1n Figs. 6, 9 and 10, in top lview in Figs'. 7 Vand 8, and in perspective infFig. ll, comprises a tapered or conical effective surface 168; This is in effect a lhalf cone. Therefrom, the body ofthe member extends laterally, asiat 169, Vto where a Vcross-'plateor flange 170 is provided..V At the top, the member 27 is formed with an edge or ridge 171' rather'- than a'point. V'The member is shown at- Vtachedto the nail boX 140 by screws 172 passing through holes in the yflanges 170.

It willbe understood that the nail box 140 is intended to receive and hold and per mit the driving of a 'group of seven nails. For this purpose'sevenv resilient, radialnail holding' devices are provided within the nail bon.` Each' of these Vis preferably multiple,

comprising upper, middle and lower slides! 175, 176 and 177 each'backed upat its outer end by a spring 178, and each inclinedly recessed at 179 at its inner orV nail receiving end. These resilient slides all converge upon the taperedguide or cone member 27.v seen in Fig. 6, thevtopmostresilient slide V175 isin eachy casel somewhat enlarged near the center and provided with an enlarged nail recess to assist the Vreceiving and holding of nails dropped into the nail box from th nail feeding mechanism referred te.l

In Fig. 6, the nails are Ynot shown but it will be understood that theV forwardly at each operation, with a group of seven nails lying against the conical surface of theptapering guide 27 After reaching nailing position, the nail'drivers come into play to drive the nails downwardly into the pierced holes and substantially through the heel, the resilient slides 175, 176, 177

borv 140 swings llO iaoaeoo yielding in these ope ations so as to permit the nails and .drivers to pass downwardly as required. 1 Y

The nail driving device 165 comprises a group oft', drivers 26 arranged to correspond with the positions of the nails beneath, just las the lat-ter are arranged to correspond with `they descend, since the nails enter the shoe divcrgingly and both thenails and the drivers are guided in their descent by the diverging sides of the tapered guide 2 s A series of springs 185 yieldingly hold the drivers centrally. A series of screw adjustable stops 186 serve to limit the initial inward move- `nient or position of the drivers.

lVth the described mechanism, it will be understood that after lthe nail box 140 has come above the heel 20, theqdrivingl mecha-' nism descends, and the of drivers 26 being forced downwardly engage the tops of the nailsand thrust them simultaneously down' the sides of the tapered guide 217, into the pierced holes and down nearly-to the point oi emergence at the base of the heel. The described actuating mechanism co-ordi naties these actions and the swingiiigof the nail box outward to receive a new group oi nails and return. After the nails are driven, A' ythe upward retraction ofr the driving devices permits the.y nail box to be retracted upwardly, and this is perfori'ne'd by the mechanismv before described, so that the .tapered guide 27 is'bodily lifted from the position of Fig. 9 to the position ot' Fig. l0. l .prefer to employ headless. nails having square Shanks and slightly tapering, and the several nails .may be of diiiierent'lengths, for example those at the rear of the heel may be longer than those at the. front.

It willthus be seen that I have described a shoe heeling method, and also a machine, the same embodying the" principles and attaining the purposes of the present. invention. Since man-y matters of arrangement, combination,procedure, order of steps, designs, details and other features may be variously modified without departing 'from the underlying principles, it isiiotiiitended to restrict the invention to such `features except in so vtar as specified in the appended claims. f What is claimed is:

1. A shoe heel preparing machine comprisingja' revoluble carrier adapted to hold sion of mechanisms located outside of the carrier, each adapted .to operate inwardly against the top sides of the heels, including, at one station, a compressing and shaping member and means for actuating it, and at a subsequent .station a piercing mechanism and means for actuating it, and at a subsequent stationa mechanism for driving nails into the pierced holes buty not en'- v tirely through the heel.

2. A shoe heel preparing machine comprising a revoluble carrier adapted to hold and advance a succession of heels,.the same having a series oi heel claspiiig devices, each consisting of opposed lexibly mounted con?,

cave members, and means. for closing said .elasping devicesupon the heels.

3. A shoe heel preparing machine comprising a revoluble carrier adapted to hold andadvance a succession of heels, the same having a series of heel clasping devices, each consisting of opposed flexiblymounted concave members, and means for closing said clasping devices upon the heels, comprising a stationary cam device brought into action by reason of the advancing'movement of the heel carrier. 4. vA shoe heel. preparing machine comprising a revoluble carrier having a lseries of clasping devices closable upon andadapted to hold and advance a succession of preassembled heels with'the heel tops facing outwardly, exterior compressing mechanism acting radiallyy inwardsagainst the top of each heel to shape and compress it towards the axis of thek carrier as the latter pauses in one position, and exterior mechanism for operating against the top of the compressed heel at a subsequent carrier position. n

5. A shoe heel preparing machine comprisinga revoluble carrier adapted to hold and-advance al succession of heels with the heel topsfacing outwardly, exterior com'- pressing mechanism acting radially inwards against the top of each heel to shape and compress it towards the axis of the carrier as the latter pauses in one position, exterior piercing mechanism operating inwards upon thel heel at a subsequent carrier position, and exterior nail-driving mechanism operating ico prising-a revoluble carrier adapted toLhold" and advance a succession of heels with the heel tops.facing'outwardly, exterior pierc-y ingv mechanism operating inwards` upon the heel lat one carrier position to form diverging nail holes, andl exterior naildriving vmechanism operating inwards upon the heel at a subsequent carrier positionto diverg# ingly drive nails intosuch holes.

7;' A shoe heel 'piercing' mechanism comprising a-gang ol awls, a series of separate sliding awl carriers, separate and adjustable lmeans for actuating all the carriers in one on its carrier.

'slidewaysv for the respective carriers, and

means for actuating all the carriers in one operation.

8. A shoe heel piercing mechanism com-V prising a gang of.' awls, a series of separate awl carriers, separate guide means for the carriers, and means for actuating all the carriers in one operation, each of said aivls compri'sing a longitudinal piercing portion, and a laterally extending shank mounted rigidly 9". A shoe heel piercing mechanismV comprising a gang of aivls, a series ot separate aivl carriers, separate guide means ior the carriers adjustable as to angle ofaction, and

operation. j i j v 10. A shoe heel piercing mechanism, coinprising a sei'ies of separate awl carriers mounted to move in diverging paths, means for adjusting the path or angle of guidance, and a single actuating means for all the carriers. i

11'. A shoe heel piercing mechanism compiising a gang of aivl carriers slidingly 'mounted in non-parallel ways, means for relatively adjusting the angles oi' the several ivays,aivls on said carriers, the longitudinal axis of each aivl lying in its path of movement, and a common actuatoriior said carriers.

, 12. A shoe heel piercing mechanism comprising a gang of aWls, a series oi separate awl cariiers, separate guide means for the carriers,A `adjustable both ,as to angle of .action and toward and from cach other, and

means for actuating all the carriers in` one operation. f

13. A shoe heel piercing mechanism coinprising a` gang oi aWl carriers slidingly v:mounted in non-parallel Ways, means ior relatively adjusting'the ways to altery the spacing .of Vthe carriers, aivls on said carriers,

the longitudinal axis' of each 'aivLlying in its path of moveinent, and a common actuator for said carriers. j

.14. A shoe heel piercing mechanism including rotary heel holding means for bringing successive heels to piercing position, a plurality vof slidably mounted separate cai- '.riers for awls, an actuator for advancing all of the carriers toward each heel,'and an awl guide plate yieldingly mountedv to adi vance With-the actuator, to contacteach heel top in advance of thev piercing action.

k15. A shoe heel piercing mechanism. including heeliholding means, a plurality ot carriers for awls, an actuator for advancing the-'carriers toward the heel, andan awl `guideplate yieldingly mounted to 'advancey -fwith the actuator, to contact the'heefl top in advance of the Vpiercing action, said guide plate having a shank vextending between the carriers to its yielding mounting on vthe actuator.l Y Y -ivithdrawincr said 16. A shoe heelfv preparing machine coinvprising a shifting carrier adapted to hold y and advancefa succession of heels to the mechanisms operating thereon, a. piercing mechanism4 operating in-one heel carrier position adapted'to pierce*l diverging holes in each heel, and a nail-driving mechanism Y operating in. asubsequent heel carrier position adapted to divergingly drive nails into Y the piercedholes. f Y f Y j 17. A shoe heel preparing machine comprising a shifting carrier 'adapted to hold vand advance'- a succession ofhe'els to the mechanisms operating thereon', a piercing mechanism operating in one heel carrier position Vadapted to pierce divei'ging holes in each heel, Ythesame having a gang of avvls, a series of separate aivlcarriers,and divergingly arranged guides for the carriers, actuating means for theaivl carriers, and a nail-driving mechanism operating in a subsequent heel carrierposition adapted to divergingly drive nails into the pierced holes, the same having av gang of drivers, a tapered guide for the drivers, nail positioning means, and actuating means for the drivers."

18. A shoe heel nailing machine comprisi ing a heel holding means, Va device for holding a group of nailsin position to' be driven intoY the heel, the same Vhaving Va `central tapered guide, means for holdingnails adj jacent the nails. v y. l

A shoe heel nailingmachinecomprising a'lieel lioldinggmeans, a devicefor holding a group'oi'nailsin position to be driven into the, heel, the same having a central tapered Guide, means for holding nails adjacent the guide, consisting of a plurality of yielding members for each nail, and 'means 'for driving such nails.

20. A shoe heel nailing machine comprisinga heel holding means, a device for holdguide, and means for driving such ing a group of nails in position to be driven Y into the heel, the sameV having a central tapered guide, means for holding nails adjacent tlie guide, consisting of a plurality of yielding members for each nail, and means i io for driving such nails, consisting of separate ing Vsaid guide against the heel during `the driving of the* nails, mechanism for driving the nails as guided by said tapered guide,

.re'volve about a transverse horizontal axis,

a self-acting means to close each clasp before reaching compressing position, compressing mechanism located beneath the carrier axis and operating by upward thrust against the heel toward the carrier axis to compress and shape the heel, piercing mechanism located to the rear of the carrier and operating toward the carrier axis, a nail driving meclianism located above and acting downwardly toward the carrier axis, and power actuable drive means, having timed connections to said compressing, piercing and driving mechanisms.

24. In a machine of the kind described, a.

rewoluble heel carrier having heel clasps at spaced peripheral points and mounted to revolve about a transverse horizontal axis, a self-acting means to close each clasp before reaching compressing position, compressing mechanism located beneath the carrier axis and operating by upward thrust against the heel toward the carrier axis to compress and shape the heel, piercing mechanism located to the rear of the carrier and operating toward the carrier axis, a nail driving mechanism Vlocated above and acting downwardly toward the carrier axis, a nail positioner shiftable laterally between driving and nail receiving positions, means for guiding nails to place in said positioner, and power actuable drive means, having timed connections to said compressing, piercing, positioning and driving mechanisms.

In testimony whereof,

signature hereto.

ANGELO PERRI.

I have aiiixed my 

